What Are You Devoted To? Really.

 WHAT ARE YOU DEVOTED TO?  Really?  

 Devotion is a word that carries a lot of power. Humans can become devoted to all sorts of things, many of them not life enhancing. In yoga, having a devotional practice conveys the point in your life that you made the commitment to dedicate to practice daily and live yogically, meaning living in a conscious , mind, body, spirit integrated way. That happened for me 20 + years ago. To say yoga has changed my life is an understatement! Yoga IS my life and I am fully devoted to practicing, embodying, evolving and expanding my conscious connection with the unity of all that is. It all starts with getting clear about what you are devoted to.

  Make a quick list and name the first 10 things you did when you got up today and recall the first thought that you thought upon awakening. I 'll share: Woke up at 6am, first thought" I can sleep 10 more minutes" got up and did the following: bathroom duties & scrape tongue, walk and feed dog, clean the ashes from wood stove and reload with wood,(its 8 degrees out) did my dinacharya(ayurvedic daily routine of oil pulling = swishing oil in my mouth for 15 -20 min, neti pot and warm lemon water until I eliminate) , made lunch for the HS son, made oatmeal for the hubby(yes its old school but after 35 years together the man does not eat otherwise and its a form of love:) put a load of laundry in, checked emails and social media, did my two hours of yoga practice including meditation. This is all before 9am. The rest of my day will include 4-5 hours of yoga teaching & tasks associated with running the studio and evening family duties.
So from my list one can gather I am DEVOTED to the following things: 
SLEEP, I need my rest!
My practices to keep my prana clear and flowing (eliminate
waste) 

My family,
My dog,
Heat in the home,
Clean clothes,
My connections via email and internet communications,
My YOGA PRACTICE,
Teaching my students,
Devoted to Opening Lotus Yoga Resources for Vibrant Health & Eco-Living
and again end of the day my family ! 

DEVOTION IS THE COMMITMENT WE MAKE TO WHAT WE VALUE THE MOST, day in and day out . Notice, it starts with taking excellent care of our bodies, minds and spirit. We are of little value if we are exhausted, stressed and negative. Who in their right minds would want to receive our energy if thats the state its in? Even the dog will turn her nose up at me if I am swirling in a cloud of mental debris. Its time to shelve all forms of martyrdom! Trying to care for others when you outright neglect yourself is an exercise in delusion . Give what you want to receive and give from an nourished body, mind and spirit.

In my early life I was devoted to complaining about how I was not happy with numerous ways life was unfolding for me. Complaining in and of itself is not necessarily a negative if we use that energy to motivate us forward. If we stay stuck and devoted to complaining, well that is what we end up living. Not pretty and think of how it is to be around someone that complains all the time, it sucks the life force right out of you so we distance from that kind of exchange. Stop complaining and start taking ownership of your own choices and their consequences. Its call maturity.
So HERE IS THE VIBRANT HEALTH TIP.... Get clear about HOW you are using your daily energy now. What takes up the majority of your time and ask yourself WHAT DO YOU TRULY VALUE? If the answer to that question is reflected in your devotion list than you are in alignment with what you value most. If not... time to make some shifts. Start by resting more, turn off the TV and go to bed early. I stopped watching network and cable news show a year ago. As a potential political junkie I realized this is a big waste of time and energy so its gone. Wow, how no TV opens up your time! The average american watches 6-8 hours of TV daily!! Thats off the charts ill.

   Keep going to bed early until you are not dragging yourself out of bed each morning with a groan. Let your first thought when you awake be one of gratitude! Gratitude that you are gifted another day, you have eyes to see, ears to hear, senses to feel, a job to go to. An attitude of gratitude will flood your system with healing light. Then as you begin your day, start to honor what you value the most by devoting daily attention to it. WHAT YOU GIVE ATTENTION WILL GROW. Putting this to practice is the difference between thinking about making a shift and actually making a shift! For today, invite yourself to get clear on one devotional daily practice you can start that will enhance your well being. Might be as simple as going to bed earlier! Namaste and Blessings for a beautiful day. Anne Townend-Duffey